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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23720785">The Screaming, Heaving, Fuckery of the World</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathsaurus/pseuds/Deathsaurus'>Deathsaurus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, M/M, Modern Era, Slow Burn, zolu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:20:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23720785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathsaurus/pseuds/Deathsaurus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The screaming, heaving, fuckery of the world is what brings Luffy and Zoro together, something as simple as taking a break at the same time can blossom into so much more than just a friendship. However, hardships and arguments abound will they make it through the wringer or will the relationship come tumbling down?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Monkey D. Luffy &amp; Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Working at The Butterfly Farm had always been one of Luffy’s biggest dreams and he’d damn near cried when they had sent him the email that said he had gotten the job he’d applied for a few weeks before. He’d been working there ever since he was 16 and he was 24 now. It had been, and was, great, he loved bugs, knew so much about them, especially after working there for so long. He’d even been there when the new tattoo shop opened next door, about 6 years ago. He hadn’t ever been inside the shop, never really that interested in tattoos or what went on inside a tattoo shop. He hadn’t even ever seen the people that worked inside or owned the place. Honestly, he wasn’t really looking, considering his total lack of interest in the shop itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The start of his workweek was Monday, of course. He showed up bright and early around 5, hot chocolate in hand, ready to face the day with the owner and another helper. Monday-Thursday was slow and, despite how big the place was, didn’t need a lot of help. Friday and Saturday were the crazy days when they needed three people and the owner around, or else they would be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people, especially tourists, that would come in, a nearly constant flow of people and nearly nonstop tours. Sunday the place was completely closed to the public, but Luffy and the owner showed up to make sure everyone was fed and all tanks that needed cleaning were cleaned and spent some time deep cleaning the entire store. On those days Luffy was allowed to bring his speaker and jam to his favorite music while cleaning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Monday’s were the easiest, most people either had work, were in school, or were too tired from the weekend, so they didn’t really think about coming to The Farm. Since everything was cleaned the night before, Monday’s weren’t that hard, it gave them plenty of free time and very little to get done. All they really had to do was make sure everyone that needed to be fed, was fed properly and occasionally sweep. Usually, this meant all the reptiles and some of the bugs that didn’t already have sustainable food inside their tank. Luffy and the owner were the ones that fed the bugs and reptiles while the extra worker on hand would stay up front, in case anyone came in, and would sweep if Luffy didn’t already have it covered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luffy was always excited to feed the bugs, especially the more exotic ones, such as the Asian Longhorned Beetle, the Scolytus, and the Hylastes, he was also always excited to let people into the butterfly sanctuary part of the building, where all the butterflies, such as Swallowtail, the Parides Agavus, and the Colias Electo, flew free in a warm room filled with many different plants and flowers. He wished he could spend every single day, all day in that room. However, he knew he couldn’t, it would put the butterflies in even more danger of being stepped on or sat upon if he did. So, he settled for being able to feed and look after everything else while the owner mostly gave tours and educated people on the different bugs and butterflies and how to act in the sanctuary itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another of his favorite things was being able to talk to people while they shopped for souvenirs from the shop. He never really meant to, but he was good at getting people to buy things. The owner always joked that it was people trying to get him to shut up and leave them alone. He didn’t always talk about the things they would buy, sometimes it seemed completely random, what they bought. He liked to tell them about how they liked The Farm, their favorite parts, their favorite bugs, once he knew about their favorite bugs, he’d talk nonstop about what he knew about that specific bug. Maybe people did buy things to shut him up, he didn’t care, but sometimes they bought things he’d talked to them about, which always made him smile and made him want to keep talking to people about their favorite parts. He also really loved talking to the kids that came in, most of them were eager to learn and always wanted to buy something of their favorite bug or reptile. He could talk a person’s ear off without them ever having to say a single word back to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was currently in one such conversation;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what was your favorite bug in the entire place? A butterfly? Beetle?” Luffy asked excited as he walked beside a young couple, probably about his age, shopping in the gift shop. They had already taken the full tour, including the reptiles and butterfly sanctuary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really like the butterflies, they’re so pretty.” The woman said with a soft smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I liked the Hercules Beetle.” The other woman said with a smirk, she knew her partner wasn’t as interested in the beetles and bugs and reptiles as she was and it was a little funny to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you know the Hercules Beetle is considered the longest species of beetle in the world if the jaws and horns were included in the measurements? Most of the research for Hercules Beetles also come from captive-bred observation, rather than in the wild observation. Not a lot is known about how they act in the wild, but, from what research has been done, we know quite a bit. Like that the rainy season is when mating season is and a female’s gestation period is 30 days from copulation to egg-laying. It has been observed in both the wild and in captivity that males will battle to win the possession of a female.” He grins, looking over at the woman, who was just about to say something before he continued one. “</span>
  <span>The larvae of the Hercules beetle are saproxylophagous, this means that they feed on rotting wood, in which they also reside during the two-year developmental stage. The adult beetles feed on fresh and rotting fruit. It’s also suggested that the beetle can carry up to 850 times its own weight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman quickly grabs a Hercules Beetle key chain off the rack in front of her, “I’ll buy this, thanks.” She says, quickly, Luffy laughing as he watches her and her partner walk away to look at butterfly merchandise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a long day of feedings and cleaning up spills and other things, they would start the close-up process after they locked the doors at 5. Most of the close-up cleanup duties were easy, especially with three people. The list was always, clean the glass, sweep and mop the floors, clean the restrooms, make sure all tanks were secure, wipe down all counters, and count down the drawers. It was all pretty simple. Luffy usually offered to clean the restrooms, he didn’t like it, and he whined, but he also didn’t want either of the other two to have to do it themselves, so he dealt with it and did himself, even if he did whine through most of it. Unless there was another guy on duty, then they would play rock, paper, scissors to see who would clean the restrooms. Luffy, however, never left it for a lady to clean the restrooms, even if they offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luffy would get out of The Farm by 6 or 7, depending on how helpful the other person on duty was, most of them were pretty helpful, but occasionally a person had a bad day or someone needed to be replaced and the replacement was just lazy. Those people never lasted long. Very rarely, he wouldn’t get out of there until nearly 8, but that was only if the other person helping that day had to call out for the day and they couldn’t get another to come in and work it. He wasn’t a fan of those days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left with his lunch bag slung over his shoulder, waving happily to the owner as they pulled out of the parking lot and wishing the other worker a good evening. He’d walk past the tattoo shop without so much as a glance at it, he just didn’t care about it. Sometimes, he’d think about telling his brother about the place, but always decided against it, Ace already had a tattoo artist he trusted with his life practically. Today was no different, walking right past the shop without so much as a thought about it or a glance in its direction, he headed home. He was excited about dinner and seeing his brothers and each of them talking about their days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tomorrow wouldn’t be much different than today, just a few more people coming into The Farm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he arrived home he was greeted by his brother, Ace, standing in front of him with his hands on his hips, looking surprisingly grumpy for Ace. Immediately, all excitement about dinner and sharing of days left Luffy as his shoulders slumped just slightly. Luffy made a face, he knew what this was about. “I don’t wanna talk about it, Ace.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well that’s too bad, we’re going to. Why’d you throw away all those college pamphlets I gave you?” Ace’s voice was even, despite how grumpy he looked as he followed Luffy into the living room. Luffy tossed his jacket over the back of the couch and headed for the kitchen, not bothering to so much as grace Ace’s question with an answer, he’d already said he didn’t want to have this discussion. “I asked you a question, Luffy.” His voice raised just slightly, though nowhere near enough to be called yelling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have to answer you.” Luffy didn’t mean to sound so childish, but he didn’t like the way Ace was treating him and dammit he’d said he didn’t want to do this!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The hell you don’t!” This time Ace did yell, just slightly, and he flinched at the shout. He hated yelling, of any kind, but especially hated yelling at Luffy. He sighs heavily when Luffy refuses to even look at him. “Look, I’m sorry, but you should go to college. Neither me or Sabo ever did and we both wish that we had.” He speaks softer now. “I just want what’s best for you Luffy… You can’t keep working minimum wage at The Farm for your entire life. You could get a degree in entomology, open your own sanctuary, be a research scientist, become a college professor or a teacher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love my job at The Farm,” Luffy says, sternly, turning his attention to Ace, eyes sharp and determined and just a little angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that you do, I just think you can do more with your life.” Ace looks a little sad as he speaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve done plenty with my life.” Luffy doesn’t wait for a reply, setting his lunch bag on the counter and then turning to take the kitchen stairs up to the second floor, slamming his bedroom door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luffy leans heavily against his door, before slowly sliding down to sit on the floor with his knees to his chest. He doesn’t cry, he’s just so tired of having this same argument and Ace treating him like he was a child. He wasn’t a child, just because he didn’t exactly have a plan for his life, didn’t mean he deserved to be treated like a child. He didn’t want to go to college, there’s no way he could balance work and college and friends, not like Koby or Helmeppo could. He wasn’t cut out for college. Ace didn’t have to keep yelling at him about it, dammit! He sighs a bit, tears just pricking at the edge of his vision, but he still doesn’t cry, not really. He stands up slowly and heads for his bed, collapsing into it and closing his eyes.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zoro had received his license to tattoo a year after he had turned 18 and he was excellent at it as well. He’d been practicing, which was really using a gun that wasn’t plugged in to trace designs on a person willing to sit still that long for absolutely no reward, since he was around sixteen. He only finally got to truly use a gun when he was eighteen when he’d become a tattoo apprentice of a friend of his, one Dracule Mihawk, the moment he’d turned eighteen, but hadn’t gotten his license until they were all sure he was truly ready for it. A while after he’d gotten his license another friend of his, Kuina, opened up her own tattoo shop, called Smoking Guns Tattoos, next to some bug sanctuary, and offered Zoro a job there, which Zoro had happily taken. That had been about six years ago when he was twenty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shop was rather large, especially considering the building it was a part of. It had four rooms, plus the front desk area. Each room had a different aesthetic, because each room belonged to one of the four artists there and including hung pictures and tacked on papers of their work. The front desk had a rustic kind of aesthetic, wood counters and cabinets, the word TATTOO across the front wall of the desk, facing the clients. There were picture frames littering the wall showcasing all their best works and even some more basic tattoos, most of which they all hated, but it felt right having them up there. The floor was wood all the way through as well, dark wood with a smooth finish. Kuina liked to burn sandalwood incense to give it an earthy scent to the place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Working for Kuina could be a little tough sometimes, especially when it was just her and Zoro and they had a lot of clients, but that was back in the beginning, just after they had gotten a little more well known. Now, they had a couple of other artists that worked in the shop, Zoro worked most days but only took about 4 clients in a day. The other two would switch weeks, meaning they were on one week and off another and Kuina was there every day unless there was an emergency or she had an appointment of some kind, but she usually left earlier than the rest of them. She also usually didn’t take clients unless specifically asked for or whoever else was working that day had to call out or had an emergency. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy doing her work, it was just hard to tattoo and run the front at the same time and she didn’t really trust the others at the front, especially Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mostly, Zoro only worked on his specialty, his signature look, as Kuina called it, which was irezumi. It flowed easily from his mind to the stencils and then from the gun. The other artist drew their own art digitally, were as Zoro would do both traditional and then digital. He would sketch out the basic shapes and areas, it would look terrible at first, and ask the client what they thought about the placement, but not to worry about how it looked right then, it wasn’t the final product. After the client confirmed they liked the placement he’d scan it onto the computer and work his magic and come out with a wonderful and beautiful piece, most people fell in love with his ideas and wanted it on their skin as soon as possible. Others were not always happy, and he’d have to redo it a couple of times and rarely people would walk out, and he would just add the art to the wall of, as Kuina called it, rejects.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Today wasn’t much different from any other day, one of the other artists had a client, but Zoro didn’t have one quite yet. He had a scheduled appointment for 12, in an hour. So, for now, he was just playing around on his phone, he wouldn’t even consider taking a walk-in right now, it being so close to when he was supposed to take on his appointment. He was sure, any minute now, Kuina would walk in and tell him to get to work sweeping or cleaning or doing something besides playing on his phone and they’d get in an argument, if that’s what you’d like to call it, about how she also played on her phone when it was a slow day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what if a walk-in comes in right now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d tell them to shove it, I have an appointment in an hour.” He smirks as he talks, glancing up at her, he knows that she knows he wouldn’t actually do that, even if he could get away with it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kuina placed her closed fists on her hips, cocking one out just slightly. “Uh-huh… I’d have you fired on the spot.” Zoro just grins up at her, he knew, even if he really did say that she wouldn’t fire him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get to work sweeping or something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like you’ve been doing for the past hour, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up and do what you’re told.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro chuckles as he pockets his phone and stands up, grabbing the broom from the wall, he might as well do as he’s told, it’s not like he has much else to do in the hour he has to wait for his client to shop up, if they even show up at all, it wouldn’t be the first nor the last time someone just didn’t show up. Right as he’s about to get to work sweeping the front, the little bell dings and in swishes a platinum blonde client, Zoro already isn’t feeling it. He stares at them as they walk to the front desk, totally ignoring him. He smirks, they probably think he’s just an apprentice and not an artist at the shop. He shakes his head and continues sweeping as Kuina comes up to the front and explains that the wait would be a while as one artist was waiting on an appointment and couldn’t take a walk-in and the other was currently with a client. They schedule an appointment for a few days from then at 2 with Zoro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can meet him now, he’s right there.” Kuina pointed at Zoro as he places the broom against the wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The client looked over at Zoro and sneered. “You set me up with an apprentice. I want a real artist.” Zoro stays quiet, choosing to let Kuina handle it, he’d just turn it into a scene anyway with his temper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. He’s one of our best artists and has been with this establishment since it’s opening… If you ‘d like you can always go to a different shop and they can set you up with a real artist.” There’s sarcasm dripping from her voice as she says the last bit, not looking up from the appointment book, but no longer penciling in the client’s information.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh…” The client says dumbly, staring at Zoro. “Oh… Then that’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want ‘er,” Zoro says, simply, rolling his shoulders slightly. The client looks surprised as he grabs the broom, beginning to sweep again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Got it,” Kuina said, flipping the pencil around in her hand and erasing the information from the book. “Sorry, you’ll have to find yourself a different shop.” She says, looking at the would-be client.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The would-be client throws a bit of a tantrum until Kuina threatens to call the cops, the would-be client leaving in a huff after that, probably would have slammed the door if she could. Zoro chuckles, shaking his head a bit, but neither of them says anything as they go back about their own business.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zoro only received three clients that day, one of them being the scheduled client, but it was only one less than the cutoff, so not a bad day really. He helps close up the shop, sweeping, mopping, the bathroom, and the rooms and tools, making sure everything is sterilized properly and put away in its spot. It wasn’t too much to do, but some of it took a long time to get done, even with two people there to get it all done. So, even though the shop closed at eight, they wouldn’t get out of there until nine or nine-thirty, sometimes even ten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was always up to Zoro to lock the door unless he wasn’t there for the day, he and Kuina had the only two keys to the door, tonight was no different. He bid the other artist a good day and grabbed his bags and headed out, locking the door behind him. He didn’t enjoy walking at night, really, it was much easier to get lost, but he also didn’t truly trust himself to drive around town either, so walking it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walk home was quiet, if a little lonely, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He kicks open his door once he has it unlocked and dumps his bags and jacket onto the floor, he lived alone so there was no one around to care if he threw stuff onto the floor. Once he dumped his stuff he headed for the kitchen, interested in getting himself some food, fixing his lunch for tomorrow, and heading for bed.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luffy left the next day without so much as a good morning to either of his brothers, still upset about Ace yelling at him. He knew it wasn’t Sabo’s fault, but it didn’t sit right with him giving one brother the silent treatment and then talking to the other. Instead, he just didn’t talk to either of them, didn’t feel like talking to them, or anyone, anyway. However, he did feel a bit bad when he went to make his lunch and found that Ace had already made it for him, he knew it couldn’t have been Sabo, as Sabo probably didn’t get in until around 12 that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took his lunch from the fridge by the strap, pulling it over his shoulder and heading for the front door, he just waves when his brothers bid him a good day at work. Even though he does feel a bit bad, it’s not enough to want to talk to Ace and, in turn, Sabo. He closes the door behind him and jumps off the porch, not bothering with the four steps down and begins his walk to The Farm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s too early for anyone to be outside or doing anything, so he doesn’t have to worry about anyone stopping him to ask him questions or start a conversation when he’s on his way to work. He walks past the tattoo shop, which was, of course, currently closed. He wasn’t sure when it opened, didn’t really care that much, didn’t need to know when it opened anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sits in front of the door, leaning his back against it, the owner wasn’t there yet, he was always there before anyone else, except Koby. He pulls out his phone and starts playing a game, crossing his legs out in front of him. He doesn’t have to wait too long before a car pulls into the parking lot, shortly followed by another car. Nami is the first person out of their care, closing it a bit hard behind her, she looks angry, Luffy wonders if it has something to do with her boyfriend, but decides not to ask. Makino, the owner, his aunt of sorts, gets out of her car next, coming up to the door with a cheery hello and unlocking it so they could get started with their days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s up, Luffy? You’re being awfully quiet.” Makino says as she counts up the drawer from yesterday to make sure it was counted down correctly, unsurprised when it turns out perfect. She looks up at Luffy as he sweeps quietly, he shrugs, and Makino clicks her tongue. “Tell me what’s going on Luffy.” Her voice is stern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me and Ace had another fight about college. He wants me to go and I just don’t want to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you certainly don’t have to… But I can see where Ace is coming from. Maybe you should consider it? If you don’t want, that’s your decision as a capable adult, but it is worth considering, rather than dismissing outright.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have considered it; this is like the hundredth time we’ve had this argument. I don’t want to go to college… Can we not do this? Please?” He looks over to her with pleading eyes, he honestly doesn’t want to do this at work as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She concedes, nodding her head. “Alright, alright… I’ll leave you alone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the opening duties are completed in silence. Usually, Luffy would greet all the bugs by the names he’d given them, but today he didn’t feel lit it, didn’t want to bother with it. He was tired from a rough sleep last night and he was upset that no one seemed to respect that he just didn’t want to go to college. He sighs a bit as he puts the broom away and gets to work picking out foods and putting them in cages that needed to be fed. Most of the bugs didn’t really need to be fed, but all of the reptiles did. He wouldn’t take long since he wasn’t going to feel like talking to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy tried to keep himself busy all day, not even bothering to try and talk to the guests about his favorite bugs or what their favorite bugs might be, not telling people the names he’d given bugs, not telling people facts he knew about them, he barely talked at all. He wasn’t even that excited to let people into the butterfly sanctuary. Makino would have let him go home early, but it probably wouldn’t have done him any good to be at home by himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Luffy, you wanna go with me to McDonald’s for lunch?” Nami asks as she watches him slowly clean the front door glass. Normally, she wouldn’t go to McDonald’s on her own, she didn’t much like the place but knew it was a bit of a comfort for Luffy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would, but… Ace made me lunch last night, so I don’t want to waste it. Thanks anyway, Nami.” He grins a bit, trying to make Nami, and Makino too, feel better about his silence, but he knows it does nothing to help them feel better about how quiet he’s been and going to be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nami nods, “yeah… Okay.” She always found it cute, the way he cherished everything his brothers did for him, but, right now, she worried that it was just making him feel worse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence prevails again. At least, until he hears Makino and Nami talking about the tattoo shop next door, Nami talking about possibly getting a tattoo done there. It gets Luffy thinking about the shop, probably for the first time since it opened. He could get a tattoo… He knew Ace and Sabo didn’t want him to get one. He could show them, especially Ace, that he was a capable adult that could make his own decisions! But… He didn’t really want a tattoo, that would be stupid and selfish, and he’d probably just end up regretting the tattoo In the end. He lets that thought slip by but continues thinking about the shop, wondering who works there, what kind of people go inside, what it looks like inside. Why the hell does he care so much anyway? It’s not like he’s ever going to go inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shakes the thoughts from his mind when he stands in front of the Hercules Beetle, it gives him a new train of thought, sort of. He remembers what he told the couple about the Hercules Beetle yesterday. He wondered if they had already heard that information. “Hey there, Spindle…” Usually, he’d start talking to the beetle about his day, like he did all the other bugs, every single one would know about his day, his plans, and what was going on with Ace and Sabo, but today he just left it at a simple hello and continued to clean the outside of the tanks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Today, he takes his lunch late, getting caught up in all the work he’s busied himself with. He heads for the backdoor, picking his lunch up from the breakroom along the way. Once he’s outside he heads straight for the table that sat behind the building, a little bench styled table. He sits down heavily and opens his lunch box. He always came out to the bench to eat his lunch, unless there was someone else already there that didn’t know, then he would just eat his lunch in the breakroom of The Farm. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to eat with a stranger, but because he was sure they came out there for a silent moment away from people and he had enough sense to not ruin that for someone. He pulls out the sandwich, chips, and cookies, and sets them down on the tabletop in front of him. He’s glad to get a moment alone, eating slowly and sitting in silence. He’d play music or something if he wasn’t in such a bad mood. He hears the backdoor to the tattoo shop open up, looking up just in time to see it close with no one coming out. Weird… Maybe someone was about to take their lunch and decided not to cause he was there. If he were in a better mood, he might feel bad… Might. He simply shrugs his shoulders and starts eating again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He takes an hour-long lunch, instead of his usual thirty-minute lunch that he liked to take. He was just tired of the worried looks Makino and Nami kept throwing his direction. Don’t get him wrong, he understood why, they were worried, they had every right to be, he was never this quiet. He loved to talk about the bugs, especially to guests, he loved to talk to the bugs, loved his job, but when he was in a bad mood he just didn’t seem as lively and as in love with his job as he usually was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He comes back in through the front door, the backdoors didn’t have a knob to get back inside and he’d forgotten to prop it open, but that wasn’t really that unusual for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Luffy… Would you like to go home early today? It’s only an hour… But I know you aren’t having the best day and you’ll probably beat Ace home if you leave now.” Makino says when she catches him coming in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luffy gives it a little thought, beating Ace home and being in his room before he could get yelled at again would be great, he wasn’t sure he could take an argument in his current mood. They would probably just end up in a screaming match that wouldn’t end until Sabo came home and broke it up. With that thought, he nods. “Yeah… If you two will be okay without me for an hour.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makino smiles, “we’ll be fine, Luffy. Head home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nods and slings his bag over his shoulder again. “Thanks.” He turns and goes right back out the door, heading home. When he passes the tattoo shop this time, he checks to see when they open, 12 and they close at 8… Why did he care?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first ever slow burn fic and also my first op fic! I would really appreciate genuine critiques and helpful advice as I'm writing!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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